Vacuum
by Vaanarash
Summary: They say Nature abhors a vacuum. Just how true it that? Just an idea that's been floating around my head. I may or may not attempt to make a story out of it.
1. Chapter 1

Hey, it's me again. This isn't a new story, so much as an idea that's been floating around my head, and I decided to get your opinions on it. The chapter itself is a very, very rough draft, for a fairly vague idea. To be honest, I was kind of hoping that by writing this all down, it would give me an idea for my other story, as I'm stuck about two thousand words into chapter 11.

This is basically a what if story.

So a quick warning, it starts out pretty vague for awhile, but you'll understand why later on.

* * *

Sarutobi ran through the sewers in his battle armor, a pair of ANBU at his back. Effortlessly dodging booby traps as he ran, Sarutobi turned his thoughts to what he was seeking.

Over the last few weeks, a number of people, from Gennin to Chuunin, even some Jounin and ANBU had been disappearing one by one. The only connection between the victims that could be found was that quite a few of them had last been seen around one man.

The identity of this man was what concerned Sarutobi the most. _'I can't believe it… not him, not my own student… I know he hasn't been himself lately…but surely he couldn't have fallen so far?' _

Seeing a door approaching, Sarutobi snapped himself out of his thoughts and crouched to the side of the door while a Taka masked ANBU stood at the ready on the other side.

Seeing the ANBU nod as a signal to his and the other ANBU's readiness, Sarutobi took a breath and with a last prayer, gave the signal for the Taka masked ANBU to proceed.

'_Please…let us be wrong about this.'_ the old Hokage thought as Taka threw himself through the door. Less than a second after he was through, the second ANBU dashed in behind him.

Following them, Sarutobi was shocked to see the corpses strewn across the room, hanging from the walls, even a live one lying strapped on a table in the center of the room. What crushed him however was the sight of his own student standing over him, seemingly ignoring the sounds of pain coming from the weakened and no doubt dying test subject.

"What are you doing! How could you do something like this!" Sarutobi shouted in disgusted disbelief.

"Oh damn…looks like you've finally found me, eh? I was wondering who it was…considering all the booby traps that I laid… I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that it was you…Sarutobi-sensei." His student chuckled.

"Why…?" Sarutobi trailed off.

"Recently," Taka began, "a number of shinobi ranging from Gennin to even Jounin and ANBU have gone missing…but to think that you of all people would be responsible…you're one of the Sannin, what could you possibly be thinking?"

"Hehehe…should I kill you as well?" the Sannin asked with a twisted grin.

Sarutobi couldn't help but flinch as he looked at his student, a man he had thought of as a son. Making some hand seals, he slammed his hand onto the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" An eight foot monkey appeared in a puff of smoke. He was Sarutobi's personal summons, Enma the Monkey King.

"Sarutobi, what's going on?" Enma asked as he looked around the chamber in disgust. When Sarutobi didn't answer, Enma snorted and turned his attention to the Sannin standing before them. "So you're behind this then? Somehow I'm not really surprised." Enma looked over his shoulder at him. "I hope you're prepared to end this Sarutobi."

Sarutobi remained silent, even as his former student went through a series of handseals and unleashed his jutsu against them. When the technique died down, both ANBU as well as Enma lay on the floor.

Grunting slightly, Sarutobi straightened and glanced over his shoulder.

His student stood with his back to Sarutobi, just inside the doorway.

"What are you doing, Sarutobi!" Enma cried out as he tried to pull his battered form to his feet. "Finish him! Don't let him escape!"

Sarutobi watched as his student slowly turned he head to look back at him. No words passed between them and a moment later, the Sannin dashed out of the room and back into the sewers.

"Why?" Enma growled just before he disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Sarutobi alone with the dead that filled the room.

Sarutobi had never felt so old as he looked around the room at the dead before lowering his gaze to the two ANBU he had brought with him. Another two loyal shinobi lost to his student. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry." he did nothing to stop the tears from falling as he stood in the room, even as the stench of rot and decay threatened to overwhelm him.

He knew he could not stay long, as he needed to return to the surface and inform the village that one of their greatest had just betrayed them, and so soon after they lost their Yondaime to the Kyuubi. But for now, he allowed him self to just be a man, weeping for the pointless deaths of those around him. Weeping for the student he considered a son, and for his own failures as a leader and a teacher.

* * *

Several hours had passed since one of Konoha's two remaining Sannin (Tsunade having left several years earlier) had fled the village. In that time, the other remaining Sannin had returned from his latest batch of missions and gone out in pursuit of his renegade teammate.

No, they were more than mere teammates. They were like siblings, all the Sannin were, ever since they were Genin. When Tsunade's parents had died, Orochimaru and Jiraiya had both been there for her, as Jiraiya and Tsunade had been there for Orochimaru when his own parents had died.

The three of them had fought side by side through two Great Shinobi Wars, and had faced and earned the respect of Salamander Hanzo himself.

Through all the bloodshed and loss, they had been together, and while they had drifted apart in recent years, those bonds still remained, he was sure of it.

He would not allow the man who was like a brother to him fall into madness, he wouldn't. _'But he already has…' _a voice whispered in the back of his mind. _'You've seen the reports… talked to Sarutobi-sensei… he's already lost…and you know it…'_

The Sannin shook his head, throwing his long hair side to side as he did so. _'I don't believe that! He can still be saved, I know he can!'_ he thought furiously. _'After all, look how close I came to falling, yet I was saved before it was too late. And he's always been a better man than me.'_

He continued to wrestle with his thoughts as he tracked his brother. The tracks were growing fresher by the second, which was a good thing since the weather looked like it was about to take a turn for the worse.

A moment later, he caught sight of his teammate, waiting for him with a cruel smirk.

As he came to a stop on a large tree branch, he silently lamented, _'I wish Minato-kun was still alive.'_

For a moment they just stared at each other silently. As the wind picked up, both their long hairs blew chaotically around them.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked quietly, trying to keep the tinge of desperation out of his voice.

His brother just grinned wickedly at him. _'Was his grin always so cruel, so twisted?'_

"Answer me!" he shouted angrily.

"Hehehe…still such a fool, like always, I see." his fellow Sannin chuckled.

"Please." he begged, "Please, come back to the village. It's not too late-"

"Shut up."

He couldn't stop the flinch at hearing such a cold voice coming from the man he respected the most.

"That village is of no use to me. It's taken everything from me."

He tried again to reason with him, but his former teammate hurled a kunai at him.

Blocking it with his own kunai, the two former teammates leapt at each other.

As the two battled amidst the pouring rain and raging wind, all he could think was _'I have to bring him back…I have to save him.'_

Yet in the end, he'd fail and be forced to return to Konoha and deliver the news to the Hokage.

* * *

Sarutobi sighed tiredly as he looked up at his now sole remaining student. He had returned from the pursuit of his wayward teammate just moments ago and had mechanically given his report.

The man looked defeated in every sense of the word, back slouching, his shoulder length hair plastered to his face and neck by mud and water.

"I'm sorry." his remaining student said softly as he stared at the floor, unable to look his sensei in the eye.

Sarutobi bowed his own head in shame. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one who let him go. If I had just stopped him then, if I hadn't hesitated…" he left the sentence unfinished.

A minute of silence passed between sensei and student before Sarutobi began again. "I'm sorry, but I need you to track down Tsunade. She must be warned of what has happened."

The Sannin looked up and wearily said, "Hai, Sarutobi-sensei." before turning and heading for the door.

"Orochimaru." Sarutobi called, bringing his student to a halt. "Look at me."

Orochimaru slowly turned his head and looked back at him. Sarutobi sought out Orochimaru's yellow eyes with his own dark ones. "I don't want you blaming yourself over this. You did everything you could to save Jiraiya. No one could have predicted that he would fall into madness so quickly."

"I could have." the Snake Sannin said as he turned back around to fully face his teacher. "I was falling into the same darkness just months ago. If it wasn't for Minato-kun…" Orochimaru trailed off in shame.

Sarutobi winced at that. Shortly after Minato had given his life to seal the Kyuubi and save the village, Orochimaru had come to him. Sarutobi had listened to his weeping student as he confessed to the dark thoughts and plans that he had been harboring ever since Sarutobi had chosen Minato over him as the Yondaime.

It had been watching Minato fight and then sacrifice his life for the village that had brought about a change of heart in Orochimaru. When he had seen Minato risking his life to protect the village, he had scoffed. What fool would lay down his life for those fools who would deny him his dream of becoming Hokage? And in that moment, he had understood. A Hokage would. Orochimaru came to realize that Minato hadn't stolen his dream from him, but that he himself had done it, with his increasingly callous remarks and activities.

Orochimaru had requested a meeting with Sarutobi immediately after he retook the title of Hokage, and he had confessed everything.

In that moment, Sarutobi had truly felt his age, and realized that his blindness to Orochimaru had nearly allowed his student to destroy himself.

He had forgiven him of course, as the village had been seriously weakened by the Kyuubi's attack, and he needed his students to help rebuild Konoha. He had however, taken away Orochimaru's apprentice and ordered the man to attend a regime of therapy sessions to help ensure his stability.

Of course, Anko thought that her teacher was simply going to be too busy with missions while Konoha rebuilt its forces, which was true enough.

And while all this had happened, he had somehow missed the signs as his other student had slipped away into madness.

Returning to his seat, Sarutobi looked up to his student. "Try to get some rest before you go after Tsunade. I'll let Anko know where you're going."

Orochimaru nodded, and left, leaving Sarutobi to his thoughts. He would end up thinking about Jiraiya all night and well into the morning, wondering what he could have done differently to save his student.

Little did he know, Orochimaru would be doing the same thing.

* * *

Well, there it is. It's not much, I know. The basic idea is, what if Orochimaru and Jiraiya somehow switched when it came to betraying the village. Since whenever Orochimaru stays in the village, the other Sannin usually do as well, I decided why not just switch them? Obviously, the idea needs a lot of work before I actually start seriously posting it, if I even do.

So what are your thoughts? Should I bother working on it or just let it go? Are you intrigued, or do want form a mob and hunt me down?

Peace, Vaan.


	2. Chapter 2

Words-2335 , Chapters-1, Reviews-23, Hits-578, C2s-0, Favs-8, Alerts-12

* * *

AN:

Here we go, three updates in one day. Unfortunately, all three are unbeta'd. Anyway, this is an unbeta'd chapter, which I will replace with a proof read one as soon as I get it. As such, there may be things like small comments or notes in the story. This is because what I'm posting today is the exact same thing I sent my Betas. Please note, this chapter was put together on computer, my phone, and paper, then combined later on. So there may be places where it doesn't flow properly, though I tried to catch them all. If you find one, please let me know. Don't forget to check out my challenges. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. I'm still not quite sure where to take this story, so let me know what you think. I wouldn't mind someone to bounce ideas off either.

* * *

The Sannin tiredly ran a hand through his long hair as he stared at the casino he had tracked Tsunade to. He was hesitant to confront the woman, particularly when he considered his less then compassionate remarks at her brother's death. Still, this was a request from Sensei, and he knew that Tsunade of all people deserved to know.

Sighing, Orochimaru made his way in. Squinting his eyes in distaste at the loud ringing and flashing lights that seemed to accompany every casino, he took in his surroundings. The people were the usual fools that were always drawn to such places.

Sticking to the shadows to avoid his rather unique appearance attracting too much attention, he searched out Tsunade. _'I probably should look for the nearest card shark...'_ He thought with a wry smirk as he tracked her down.

Imagine his surprise when he heard another one of those annoying ringing sounds followed by a young girl's voice crying out excitedly, "You won, Tsunade-sama!" He didn't fail to notice the disbelief in her cry.

Moving quickly through the crowd, emerging behind them without a sound. Sitting in front of the machine, sat his teammate, Tsunade Senju.

The busty blond was as beautiful as ever, though the disbelieving scowl she was giving the machine detracted from it somewhat. Unlike the outfit he was used to seeing her in, she now wore a green coat with the kanji for gamble on the back, over simple blue pants and a green shirt, along with high heel shinobi sandals. On anyone else, he'd call those sandals highly impractical, yet he had seen Tsunade fight in them before, and as such knew exactly what she could do in them.

The girl with her was a polar opposite. She was in her teens, with short, black hair. She wore a simple kimono and standard shinobi sandals. The one thing that stood out about her was the tiny pig she held in her arms.

"Tsunade." He called, causing her to spin around and fix her glare on him.

"Orochimaru." She said coldly. "Come to drag me back to the village?"

Sighing, he leaned against the machine she was playing before answering. "Of course not, Tsunade. You know Sensei wouldn't do something like that."

That seemed to appease her as she relaxed somewhat, standing up and signaling for him to follow. She led him out of the casino and to a small, out of the way bar. Once there, she ordered some sake and sat at one end of the booth with the girl, and he sat by himself opposite them. He of course, took only water.

"So," Tsunade drawled as she sipped at her drink. "Why are you here? Usually it's Jiraiya that comes looking for me, not you."

Orochimaru tried to hold in a flinch at his teammate's name. Noticing her raise an eyebrow, he quickly tried to stall. "Who's this, Tsunade?" He asked as his eyes fell on the girl with them. "Don't tell me she's your long lost daughter." He joked lamely.

He knew he'd made a mistake when he saw her eyes narrow angrily at him. "She's my apprentice, Shizune. Dan's niece."

He winced at her tone; no longer sure that stalling was the best idea. "Ah...I didn't know you had taken an apprentice. I have an apprentice too. Her name is Anko."

Tsunade raised her eyebrow again. "I know. I was there when you took her on."

"Ah, yes, that's right." He muttered as he tried to find something else to say.

"What's going on Orochimaru? It's not like you to stall or make small talk. Why did you really come here?" Tsunade asked with a concerned frown.

Slumping, he finally gave in. "It's about Jiraiya..."He murmured quietly.

"What about him?" Tsunade asked with subtle fear in her voice. The glass in her hand trembled violently as she awaited his answer.

Taking a deep breath, he burst out. "He's...he's betrayed the village!"

Tsunade blinked once, twice, then snorted. "Good one, Orochimaru. You almost had me for a second there-"

"I'm not joking, Tsunade." He said quietly.

She scowled angrily and growled, "It wasn't very funny the first time Orochimaru, and it's not funny now."

"Sensei found him in an underground lab. He'd been kidnapping people of all ranks; Jounin, Chuunin, ANBU...even Genin." Orochimaru paused as flashes of the horrific scene beneath the streets of Konoha assaulted him, causing bile to rise in his throat. Coincidentally, this caused him to miss the look of shock and fear in Tsunade's eyes. Squeezing his own tightly shut in an attempt to block out the images. "He...he had been...experimenting with seals on them. I don't know what he was trying to accomplish, but...some of those seals...they just _felt _wrong. I've never seen anything like some of those seals...they were so...alien. And then he attacked Sensei and killed two ANBU during his escape."

"You're lying." Tsunade whispered near silently.

"Tsunade-" he began as he gently squeezed her hand, only for her to tear her hand from his and violently lurch to her feet.

"You're lying!" She screamed angrily. "You always hated him, and this is just another childish way for you to try to prove you're better than him!"

"He was my brother!" Orochimaru hissed as he rose to his own feet. "I tried to stop him, to reason with him! I did everything I could to keep him from leaving! And he tried to kill me! But with Minato and Kushina dead-"

"Dead! What do you mean they're dead!" Tsunade asked in horror.

Blinking, he asked incredulously. "You mean you don't know?"

"No!" she exclaimed while shaking her head. "Jiraiya's the one who's been keeping me informed…" She cut herself off, before asking. "What happened?"

He sighed as his anger dissipated, forced to relive the last few weeks. "The Kyuubi attacked. I don't know how or why but…Minato sacrificed his life to seal it away. Kushina…didn't make it."

Tsunade was not alone in her tears as Orochimaru shed some of his own at the fate of two people he respected. He was shaken from his depressing thoughts when Tsunade hesitantly asked. "What…what about the baby?"

Remember the tiny blond, Orochimaru smiled weakly. "He survived. He's actually the one Minato sealed the Kyuubi into. Jiraiya was so ecstatic to be a Godfather…but Sensei decided that he was too…too irresponsible to care for him. My apprentice has been looking after him since the attack. That might be what pushed him over the edge and into madness-"

Tsunade's face had slowly shifted from fearful, to relieved, to shocked, to enraged as he explained before she finally exploded.

"He wouldn't do that!" Tsunade insisted as she leaned towards him dangerously. "He's not like…like _that_!"

Narrowing his eyes, Orochimaru stripped off his Jounin vest and tugged up his shirt, causing Tsunade and her apprentice to gasp, though for different reasons. Shizune gasped because of the horrible, swirl shaped, half-healed scar that covered his upper left abdomen. Tsunade gasped because she knew what technique would do that kind of damage. The Rasengan.

Tsunade looked like she desperately wanted to look away, to continue to deny his accusations. But before she could do anything, a shrill scream from the front of the bar captured the attention. Spinning, they both dropped into a defensive stance before Orochimaru blinked in surprise.

Weaving its way through the bar towards him was a very familiar snake. "Yanda?" he asked in surprise as the five-foot blue snake slithered closer. "What are you doing he-" was as far as he got before the snake opened its mouth and…puked up a young girl clutching a small bundle. A very familiar looking girl, holding on to a very loud bundle.

"Anko-chan?" he sputtered as the girl swung her head back and forth before locking onto his face.

"Sensei!" she cried in panic as she awkwardly stumbled to her feet and ran over to him, her eyes wide and watery. "Sensei, something's wrong with Naruto! I can't get him to stop crying and I think he has a fever!" she yelled to be heard over the wailing infant and the still panicked crowd.

"Tsunade!" he said as he quickly dismissed Yanda and transferred Naruto from Anko's arms to Tsunade's, who was already activating a diagnosis jutsu. "Anko-chan, why did you come here? Why didn't you take him to the hospital? You know how important he is!" he demanded angrily as his eyes darted back and forth between the young Namikaze and his apprentice.

"I-I'm sorry Sensei." she stuttered as tears began leaking from her eyes as she sniffed. "I didn't know what to do, and he sounded like something was hurting him, and you weren't home then, and you said not to trust the doctors, so I summoned Yanda to help me find you, and I was trying to help Naruto, but he just wouldn't stop crying, so I thought you would know what to do, but I didn't know you weren't in the village so-"

Raising a hand to stop her borderline babbling, he turned to Tsunade and asked. "Is he alright?" he forced himself to keep his own nervousness out of his voice. The fear of the Kyuubi aside, he wasn't willing to lose Minato's legacy, not when he owed the man so much. He'd never be able to forgive himself if something happened to the boy.

Frowning, Tsunade paused long enough to shift from her diagnostic jutsu to the Shosen before answering. "He seems to be suffering from the Kyuubi's chakra. I don't know what seal Minato used, but it's probably designed to allow some of the chakra to seep through. His body simply isn't used to it, and as such feels pain. After a few months, he should become used to it, but this will help him for now." She explained as she ran her glowing palm over and around the quieting Naruto's body.

Sighing in relief, he asked. "What are you doing?" After all, if this was going to be a common occurrence, he'd have to make sure the medics in Konoha knew what to do.

"Don't bother." Tsunade said dismissively as she glanced at him knowingly. "It's my specific chakra that's necessary for this. A part of my Grandfather's abilities. I can't control the Kyuubi's chakra like he could, but I can soothe it to a degree." she finished as Naruto dropped off to sleep. "Just my close proximity could help calm him down, and what I'm doing right now is using my medical techniques to direct my chakra into him."

"I see." Orochimaru sighed as he turned back to Anko. "It's alright, Anko-chan, calm down. While you shouldn't have taken Naruto out of the village, I understand that you were just trying to help." His attempt at soothing his apprentice didn't seem to be working, as she deflated even more.

Sighing, he turned back to Tsunade when he heard her speak. "So…Naruto, huh? As in the Naruto from Jiraiya's book?"

"Yes." he said with a sad smile. "Minato and Kushina really liked the story, and they said they wanted Naruto to grow up just like the main character."

She smiled down at the tiny blond before frowning. "Did Jiraiya really…" she trailed off, unwilling or unable to finish.

He just nodded in answer. Really, what more could he say?

* * *

Tsunade's mind was in turmoil. She couldn't believe what Orochimaru was saying about Jiraiya, didn't want to believe it. The very idea that he could do such things as her teammate described was ridiculous! She wanted to call him a liar, wanted to believe he was a liar, but there were two things she couldn't deny. One was the scar on Orochimaru's abdomen that could only have come from the Rasengan. The other thing was how tired and emotionally drained he was. She hadn't seen Orochimaru like that since his parents' funeral.

She was shaken from her thoughts when a certain smell reached her senses. Frowning, she looked down at little Naruto. "I wanted you to relax, but not that much." she grumbled as she looked to Orochimaru's apprentice. "Anko, did you bring a baby bag by any chance? Naruto needs a diaper change."

Anko's head snapped up and she dashed off to where the snake summons had…deposited her…and grabbed a bag. As she returned, she tried to open the bag, no doubt trying to be as helpful as possible to make up for her earlier panic. Unfortunately, in her zeal to please, she managed to drop Naruto's bottle while trying to pull out diapers. Blushing lightly, Anko tried to quickly scoop it up, only to dump out the rest of the bag in the process.

Taking pity on the shaken and embarrassed girl, Tsunade shifted Naruto into one hand and scooped up what she needed with the other. "Shizune, why don't you give Anko a hand?" The young Chuunin blushed harder at that, yet she didn't object when Shizune knelt down next to her and assisted her.

Turning to the nearest surface -which happened to be their table- Tsunade grabbed Orochimaru's Jounin vest and used it as padding to lay Naruto on top of. It was a sign of how tired her former teammate was, that he didn't realize her intention until it was too late. "Tsunade, what are you doing!" he exclaimed in horror at seeing his vest used as a changing table.

"Oh, shut up you big baby." she retorted teasingly. "You've got a hundred of these things back in the village."

A minute or two later, she finished powdering and diapering the blond infant and after fobbing the dirty diaper on Orochimaru -who grimaced distastefully as he disposed of it- she carefully returned the now awake child to her arms. She had intended to return the tiny infant to Anko or Orochimaru, yet she kept getting sidetracked, first with hastily rearranging her hair to prevent Naruto from tangling his tiny fingers or toes in it, then with removing her necklace from his mouth, then huffing in exasperation when he began nuzzling at her breasts. "Aren't you a little too energetic for a newborn?" she asked with a half-hearted scowl as she shifted him away from breasts. He just stretched and made a gurgling sound in response and once again nuzzled clumsily at her chest.

Thankfully, Anko seemed to be back on her game as she was at her side a second later, bearing a much more composed face and a warm bottle of milk.

"Thank you, Anko-chan." she said gratefully as she shifted the hungry baby once again, this time bringing the bottle to bear as well. Naruto latched on greedily, and quickly downed the entire bottle, pausing only to breath, and occasionally, gurgle in what Tsunade thought was a happy way.

Once the bottle was empty, she set it down and placed Naruto over her shoulder, gently patting his tiny back as she did so. Too late, she registered Anko's cry of "Tsunade-sama, wait!" as she approached with a towel in hand.

"Blurh!" came from the Naruto's mouth as she felt something wet land on her shoulder. Squeezing her eyes shut, Tsunade took a deep breath before pulling Naruto away and looking down at her front. More specifically, at the mixture of baby formula and puke.

"You little bastard." she muttered without any real feeling to it. How she had forgotten that of all things was beyond her. _'Probably Orochimaru's fault somehow.'_ she mused angrily when she caught sight of Orochimaru's amused grin.

"Thank you, Tsunade." he chuckled. "I was actually starting to think you'd make a good mother someday, but luckily, you screwed up just in time to dissuade me."

"Shut up." she growled as she traded Naruto to Anko in return for the towel she carried. Wiping at her coat, she quickly determined that it was a lost cause due to the puke being so close to her nose. Removing her coat, she briefly considered forcing Shizune to carry it, but decided against it when she saw something amusing.

Namely, her apprentice arguing with Orochimaru's over Anko's attempt to clean Naruto's face. "You're being too rough with him, Anko-chan!" Shizune was saying as she attempted to gently wrestle both the baby and his blanket away from her younger counterpart.

"I am not!" Anko whined in a way that Tsunade would almost call childish if she didn't know the girl was a Chuunin. "He's always squirming like that! I know what I'm doing; I've been taking care of this brat for the last two weeks! I think I would know if I was doing something wrong."

"Don't call Naruto-chan a brat!" Shizune scolded as she succeeded in claiming the blanket. "Now, give him here." she ordered sternly as she tried once again to claim him.

Anko balked and backed away with a scowl on her face as Orochimaru and Tsunade looked on in amusement. "You're kidding, right? You were holding a pig a second ago! There's no way I'm letting you hold him!"

"You know he's not a toy or a pet." Her former teammate murmured sardonically as he calmly snatched the blanket from Shizune and efficiently cleaned up baby Naruto's face.

_'Not bad for someone who's never so much as taken part in a babysitting D rank.' _She thought in amusement as she smirked at her fellow Sannin while he retrieved his Jounin vest from her.

"I'm afraid we have to be going, Tsunade." He said with a light glare for his vest. "Sensei will be frantic when he realizes Naruto is gone, and I doubt Anko or Yanda thought to leave a note."

Frowning, she nudged him gently with an elbow. "It's already pretty late, why don't you just send a snake to tell him what happened and stay the night? The hotel I'm staying at has pretty good rates." He frowned and opened his mouth, no doubt intending to protest, but quickly overrode him. "Come on, you know it's fun to watch the girls argue over Naruto. And we can go out drinking after the children are asleep, talk about old times." _'And Jiraiya.'_ Was the unspoken add on.

Orochimaru paused, before nodding reluctantly. A short summon later, the two Sannin and their respective apprentices were walking down the street towards a modest hotel.

Tsunade was -though she would never admit it- disappointed when the two girls fell asleep in their chairs near Naruto's makeshift crib. The two were certainly amusing, that was for sure.

After some debate, it was decided that they would not leave Naruto in the hands of their apprentices. After some further debate -aka a coin toss- it was decided that Tsunade would be the one responsible for the tiny blond.

They eventually settled on a roadside stand after the first three bars turned them away at the first sight of the blond bundle in the seemingly young blonde's arms.

They sipped on water and watered down sake respectively -as even this bartender was convinced that Naruto was hers- and talked about the past, the accomplishments of their apprentices, and everything in between, except for Jiraiya.

Finally, after hours of talking inter mixed with caring for Naruto the few times he woke, Tsunade finally broached the subject she had been dreading. "So...Jiraiya really..." She trailed off, unable to bring herself finish.

"Yes." Orochimaru said just as quietly.

They sat in silence for a moment, before she asked shakily. "Do we know why he did it?"

Orochimaru shook his head, suddenly looking more tired than she could ever remember. "We don't know anything for sure." He answered as he stared into his drink with troubled eyes. "But before Sensei found his "lab", he had caught Jiraiya trying to get the Forbidden Scroll. Based on his experiments, there are only two Jutsu on that scroll that I can think of that Jiraiya would want. The Shiki Fuin, and the Edo Tensei."

She froze at the mention of those accursed techniques. One, while some might consider it noble, was nothing more than an abomination in her eyes. Any jutsu that ended with or required the death of its user was a pointless waste of life, especially given her specialty.

The second was in some ways even more dangerous than the first. Imagine the ability to resurrect and control the most powerful of your fallen enemies, and the only cost would be the sacrifice of an equal number of your enemies. Then imagine such an ability in the wrong hands? The thought had been enough to convince the creator and sole user of the technique, her Grand Uncle, to ban it.

"I understand why he might want the Edo Tensei," Tsunade said slowly. "But why would he want the Shiki Fuin?"

Orochimaru frowned as he answered. "It might be because Minato traded his soul to the Shinigami, thus forcing Jiraiya to look into it. However..." He trailed off as he glanced at Naruto. "He might have been planning something with Naruto."

Tsunade gaped at him at that. "Surely you don't think he'd do something to Minato's son and his own Godson?" She asked in horror. After all, this was Jiraiya they were talking about!

"He used his other two students in his experiments." Orochimaru answered quietly. "And he barely knows Naruto. He loved Minato like a son."

Tsunade felt her stomach twist, a common sensation today it seemed. They fell silent, neither of them speaking even when they returned to their hotel, silently bidding each other good night. Her mind on auto pilot, she didn't even notice when she bypassed Naruto's make-shift crib, instead settling the tiny blonde on the bed, changed into her sleep wear, then lay down beside Naruto, absentmindedly wrapping an arm around him.

* * *

Tsunade woke early the next morning to the earsplitting wail of the room's sole male occupant. Opening her eyes, she watched as a still mostly asleep Anko mechanically sat up, retrieved a small blanket and yet another bottle of baby formula, and moved to collect Naruto from his makeshift crib.

Or at least, that's what she intended to do. As soon as she caught sight of the baby-less "crib" her eyes bulged comically as she frantically whipped her head around in search of her young charge. When she found him in Tsunade's arms, she rushed over, practically running over a still half-asleep Shizune in the process.

Tsunade might have found the whole thing rather comical if it wasn't for the still crying Naruto. "It's way too early in the morning for this." she accused the wailing infant just before Anko scooped him up.

"Tell me about it." the preteen Chuunin grumbled as she tried to position the blond in her arms. Oddly enough, despite latching onto the bottle just as greedily as the last time, this time, he kept shifting and stretching his body almost nonstop, causing Anko to have to quickly shift to keep the unusually active baby secure in her arms. This sometimes required both of the Chuunin's hands, resulting in the bottle being removed from the ravenous blond's mouth. That of course, resulted in a loud protest from said blond, which grated on all of their ears.

"You'd get your food if you stopped squirming you little brat!" Anko hissed angrily as she was once again forced to reposition the infant in her arms. "Hold still!" she ordered, her patience and temper obviously approaching their breaking point.

Deciding to intervene -partly out of pity for the exhausted Chuunin and partly out of concern for the tiny blond- Tsunade calmly offered to take the infant from her. Anko obviously couldn't be rid of the boy fast enough, as Tsunade quickly found herself rocking a fussy Naruto while Anko scooped up the fallen bottle and practically shoved it into her hands before falling back on the bed.

Smirking at the girl's pout when Naruto settled down shortly after entering her arms, Tsunade studied the infant in detail for the first time. As with all newborns, he was a tiny thing, with eyes that stubbornly remained shut on a face that was framed by three lines on each cheek, almost as if he possessed some kind of whiskers. _'A side effect of the sealing? Or a side affect of being Kushina's child?' _she wondered to herself as he finished draining the bottle with what might have been a content sigh. Or maybe he had gas.

"That would be just like you, Kushina." Tsunade murmured absentmindedly. "Giving birth to a child that stands out almost as much as you did."

"Did you know Kushina, Tsunade-sama?" Anko asked as she watched her burp Naruto. "I've been wondering about who the brat got his energy from."

Tsunade nodded. "Kushina was very close to my Grandmother when she was around your age. So I knew her most of her life." She explained as she burped the tiny infant.

"Mito-sama?" Anko asked in surprise. "But why would the Shodai's wife be close with Kushina?"

Tsunade paused as she considered how to answer that without giving away the truth. Eventually, she just said, "My Grandmother and Kushina both came from the same clan originally. My Grandmother married my Grandfather as a sign of friendship between the Senju and Uzumaki clans.

Anko nodded in understanding, not needing an explanation as to the two clans fate's. Then, without warning, the girl bolted upright, her eyes wide in sudden comprehension. "That's why Orochimaru-sensei came looking or you!" She exclaimed as she pointed a finger at her. "It's because you're Naruto's only living relative and he wants you to take him in!" Anko's voice began as her usual excited and chipper self. Yet near the end, she seemed to jump between excited and disappointment, no doubt due to conflicting emotions about finally being rid of the blond menace that was Naruto.

But Tsunade didn't notice any of that; as she was too busy staring at Naruto in horror. The Uzumaki and Senju were distantly related, and Kushina had been related to Mito to some degree. And Tsunade herself was the granddaughter of Mito, which meant…that she and Naruto were not only related -however distantly- but they were each other's last living relative.

She quickly shook those thoughts from her head. They weren't family, her family was dead and gone. Just like Dan and Nawaki.

Naruto was just another orphan, one of many in this world and no concern of hers. Besides, they were barely even related.

"No, Anko-chan. Orochimaru came here for something else." She said as she all but dropped Naruto into Anko's arms. Unable to bear remaining in the same room as them, she quickly left in search of a strong drink.

She left in such a hurry, that she didn't notice a form watching the hotel from the shadows of an alleyway. _'Soon…'_ the shadow thought to himself as he studied the hotel. _'Soon…Naruto…'_

* * *

**AN: **Like I said, I'm not sure where I'm going to take this story. Let me know what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

Words-7249 , Chapters-2, Reviews-34, Hits-2054, C2s-3, Favs-27, Alerts-48

* * *

**AN:**

Well, I'm still alive. I apologise for the long wait, and that this chapter is still unbeta'd. Although, in my defense, I have been trying to post this for the last ten days. Please note, this chapter was put together on computer, my phone, and paper, then combined later on. So there may be places where it doesn't flow properly, though I tried to catch them all. If you find one, please let me know. That being said, I'm not really satisfied with this chapter, particularly the last portion. I've actually been sitting on this chapter with about six to seven thousand words done for about five months. It's only been in the last two days that I sat down and made myself finish it. The fact that I'm five chapters and a prolouge into a new story that's really got me writing like crazy right now help motivate me. Speaking of which, I'm looking for someone to bounce ideas off of for this latest one.

Anyway, don't forget to check out my other stories and challenges. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 3 of Vacuum.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Anko blinked in confusion as Tsunade all but stormed from the room._ 'Was it something I said?'_ She wondered before the tiny bundle of annoyance in her arms started wailing again. "Damn brat." She muttered as she rocked Naruto tiredly. "Never a moment's peace when you're around."

Yet even as she said that, his eyes slowly opened, cerulean blue seeming to stare right into her own hazel eyes. For a second, her breath caught at those beautiful eyes, before Naruto let out a disgustingly adorable yawn and closed his eyes once again.

She felt a mixture of gratitude and disappointment as the tiny blond drifted off. On the one hand, he couldn't cry if he was asleep, but on the other, she couldn't see his eyes anymore either.

Blinking, the preteen Chuunin scowled down at the tiny bundle. "Oh no you don't!" Anko growled near silently. "You can't trick me with your cute little yawns and pretty eyes! You're a horrible little brat and soon you'll be someone else's problem! In fact, I can't wait to get rid of you!" She didn't even notice throughout her whispered rant when she carefully tucked Naruto's swaddling in a little tighter, nor the gentleness with which she eased back on the bed, propping herself up to avoid-

*knock knock knock!* "Waaah!"

-waking him.

"Son of a bitch!" She hissed angrily as she got up and stalked over to the door, casually ignoring Shizune's offer to take Naruto while planning several vicious punishments for whatever cheap hotel staff worker had woken the blond menace in her arms.

Shifting Naruto to free up her left arm, Anko yanked the door open and shouted "What do you want!"

She froze instantly as she took in the man standing before her, time seeming to freeze for one terrifying second. He was tall, easily one of the tallest men she had ever seen, and was dressed in an odd green and red ensemble. His long, spiky white hair was held back from his face in a ponytail that draped down his back, nearly half way to his waist. He wore wooden getas, and two red lines were tattooed down his strangely blank face from the corners of his eyes.

All in all, the man's unique appearance would stand out in any crowd, even if she hadn't already known who he was.

_'Jiraiya!'_ Anko's mind screamed at her even as time seemed to move forward once again.

"I'm here for Naruto." The Toad Sannin stated, even as Anko overcame her brief paralyzation and attempted to slam the door shut.

The door only latched part way before Jiraiya nonchalantly slapped it back open, the force of the blow splintering the wood and slamming Anko and her precious cargo to the ground.

If she had any doubts as to the danger Jiraiya posed to little Naruto, they were dispelled by the utter carelessness with which he showed the wailing infant's health. It was only Anko's quick thinking that that allowed her to twist her body, first to take the blow from the door on her left side, then to cushion Naruto in her arms as she hit the floor on her back.

Through it all, Jiraiya showed no concern for the safety of his Godson, casually striding into the room with an unreadable look on his face.

Desperately trying to scramble across the floor away from him, Anko heard the sound of metal cutting through the air just before five tiny needles flew by above her. Glancing behind her, she saw Shizune with her right sleeve pulled back, a series of senbon launchers strapped to her arm.

"Run, Anko!" The older girl shouted, even as she heard the familiar metallic clang of weapons clashing as Jiraiya blocked the senbon with a single kunai.

Anko finally managed to get her feet under her just as Shizune screamed in pain, a kunai piercing straight through her arm as Anko rushed for the window.

Gritting her teeth, Shizune charged towards Jiraiya with a kunai in her left hand. "Protect Naruto!" she screamed as Anko ran past her.

Silently thanking the older girl for her sacrifice, Anko grabbed Naruto's burp blanket to cover him further as she jumped towards the window in a spinning leap, curling her body around her cargo protectively.

In the split second before her back hit the window, she was able to witness Shizune's futile attack against the Toad Sannin.

Still screaming at the top of her lungs, the young medic quickly closed the distance and lashed out with her kunai in a horizontal swipe. An attack that Jiraiya easily avoided by leaning back ever so slightly, before countering with a savage backhand that sent Shizune flying through the wall to crash _into_ the floor of the next room.

Anko winced and offered up a prayer for Shizune's health, just before crashing through the window, curling up around Naruto even tighter as she flipped through the air, landing off balance on her heels, before falling on her ass once again.

Unlike last time however, she quickly regained her feet and dashed down the street at full speed, her face a fierce mask of determination. She wouldn't let Shizune's sacrifice be in vain, nor would she fail her sensei again. Anko knew her only hope was to outrun the traitorous Sannin long enough for Orochimaru or Tsunade to find her. _'Or to find him first.'_ She thought hopefully. _'I don't think I can stop hi-shit!'_ Her train of thought was forcibly halted as Jiraiya appeared before her, his foot planted in her gut before she could even think of trying to dodge.

Crashing to the ground, Anko once again curled up around Naruto, desperately trying to shield him from the crazed Sannin, even if her mind knew the pointlessness of it all. She was as good as dead, and Naruto, poor, innocent little Naruto, would soon be in the hands of a monster, who intended to do God knows what to the tiny blond.

Opening her eyes, Anko stared down at the tiny, whiskered face peeking out from the bundle of blankets cradled against her chest. Gazing into that wailing face, Anko felt shame flood through her, overriding any other feelings of regret or disappointment that she had felt previously. "I'm so sorry." She murmured as she laid a gentle kiss on the blonde's forehead, moments before sounds of flesh violently meeting flesh and screams of fear reverberated through the air.

* * *

Orochimaru bolted awake to the sounds of a young girl screaming in pain and terror. Leaping from the bed, it took him only a moment to remember where he was and another to race out the door and cautiously move down the hall towards Tsunade's room, intent on securing Naruto before investigating.

When he realized that the screams were coming _from_ Tsunade's room, it was all he could do to keep from sprinting down the hall in a panic. Instead, he maintained his steady pace, carefully checking for any signs of a trap or ambush along the way. When he arrived just outside the room, he paused near the near the broken door.

_'Where's Tsunade?'_ He thought to himself. While even a Genin could defeat Tsunade because of her hemophobia, only a handful of people knew of it. So it would take someone incredibly powerful or incredibly stupid to try to take her on.

Listening carefully, he tried to pick up any sounds of activity within the room. His heart stopped when all he could pick was the harsh, weak breathing of a single young girl. Images flashed through his mind then, images of a dead baby, of Anko lying in a pool of blood - as the only way his stubborn apprentice would allow Naruto to be harmed was over her dead body. He saw Tsunade, his last friend, dead, a look of utter terror on her face, brought down by her crippling fear of blood.

Unable to hold himself back any longer, Orochimaru burst into the room, ready to unleash hell on the unknown attackers. Instead of what he feared, he was met by an empty room. Yellow eyes quickly took in the scene, expertly piecing together what happened. The shattered window, the gaping hole in the wall, the handful of small senbon needles, as well as a single kunai lying in front of the doorway, and the small puddle of blood in the middle of the room. They all pointed to a brief struggle, then someone fleeing into the streets below, a pursuer close behind.

Feeling slightly relieved, Orochimaru quickly made his way to the source of the labored breathing. He felt a surge of guilt at the relief he experienced when his eyes fell on a seriously injured Shizune, not Anko. He knelt next to her, taking in her injuries at a glance, instantly knowing that the girl was far beyond his help.

The kunai that was pierced through her right arm was serious, but not enough to kill immediately. In fact, a simple tourniquet would be enough to keep her alive for hours. It was the other wounds that were the problem. Judging from the painful looking angle of her back, she had likely suffered serious damage to her spine.

The worst wound was her side, where a large shard of wood had torn through the flesh, leaving two ribs exposed. It looked like Shizune had attempted to heal herself, only to pass out from pain or blood loss. The poor girl likely had only moments left.

Shaking his head, Orochimaru rose and turned to leave, only to feel a hand weakly grasp his sleeve.

"Or-Orochimaru-sama..." Shizune gasped eyes unseeing as she desperately struggled to draw air.

He pushed aside his guilt and moved to free his hand when her next word left him frozen.

"Jir...rai...ya..." Shizune managed to get out before her strength left her. Her hand slowly slid from his wrist, almost dropping to the floor were not for Orochimaru's reflexes.

He grabbed her and gave a gentle squeeze that belied his frantic thoughts. _'Jiraiya is here! He's here and Anko and Naruto are missing!'_ He almost leapt away then and there, knowing he had no time to lose. Despite that, Orochimaru wasted precious seconds to smooth back Shizune's sweat matted hair, silently conveying his gratitude.

Smoothly rising to his feet, he heard a terrified gasp as he did so.

Standing there with a look of absolute horror was a trembling Tsunade.

Wincing in sympathy, Orochimaru laid a hand on her shoulder as he passed, murmuring his condolences before dashing out the window and to the street below.

He hated himself for leaving his teammate like that, but there was really nothing anyone could do for Shizune now, not with Tsunade's crippling fear of blood. And Orochimaru couldn't afford to stay behind to comfort Tsunade either, there was simply no time!

He quickly ran through the seals for a Kuchiyose, only for his blood to run cold at the sight just down to the street.

There, curled up on the ground, was his apprentice. Above her was a grim faced Jiraiya, already reaching down towards her. Hissing in rage, Orochimaru raced towards them, driven on by the wails that had finally reached his ears.

* * *

Once she had left the room, Tsunade had wasted no time heading for the bar on the first floor, her mind and emotions a chaotic mess. _'There's no way Orochimaru would try and dump Minato's kid on me...right? And even if he wanted to, the brat's no relation of mine. If it takes a family tree to find a blood relation, then it doesn't count as one.'_ Tsunade told herself fiercely. _'Besides, I'm in no shape to be taking care of-what's that?'_

Tsunade frowned as she looked around the lobby. She had felt..._something_ when she entered the large room, something that almost felt...familiar.

Shaking it off when the sensation -whatever it was- didn't reappear, she briskly walked towards the small bar/grill in an adjacent room. Making a beeline for one of the bar stools, Tsunade cursed under her breath when she saw the same teenage girl that had turned her away last night.

The young brunette met her at the side of the bar. "Good morning Ma'am, how may I help you."

Mentally crossing her fingers, Tsunade said, "I'll have a bottle of sake and a saucer please."

She felt her hopes crash and burn when the girl frowned in disapproval. "I'm sorry Ma'am, but I don't think you should be drinking in your condition. Could I interest you in some herbal tea? It's great for young mothers."

"No, I don't want some herbal tea. I'm not a mother! I'm not even _related_ to that brat!" Tsunade growled in exasperation.

"Now Ma'am," the bartender scolded chidingly. "There's no need to be telling fibs. I can tell from the swelling of your breasts that you gave birth recently, and that adorable baby boy looks _just_ like you."

Tsunade felt her eye twitch as she struggled to keep her temper. After all, punching the little bitch through a building or two wouldn't help her get her sake. "This is my _normal_ size. And the only thing that brat and I have in common is our hair color!" She said, practically seething at the girl's stubbornness.

"Yes, he does take after his father doesn't he?" The waitress agreed with a serene smile. "Though he's definitely got your nose!" Her smile faded away, replaced by a worried frown. "Speaking of his father, he doesn't know about your lover, does he? I couldn't stand the thought of that little angel going through a - where are you going Ma'am?"

Tsunade had had enough. She was going to get Shizune, bid fair well to Orochimaru, and heading for a casino with bartenders who weren't nosy little do gooders with the common sense of a rock.

_'This is all Orochimaru's fault! If he hadn't tricked me into that coin toss I'd be drinking some delicious sake and having fun right now!'_ She seethed to herself as she recalled the bartender's words. _'I don't look anywhere _near_ old enough to be a mother!' _And just to be sure, she used her medical technique to reduce her body's age by another two or three years. Just to be sure.

As she reached the final bend in the stairwell, a very familiar scream filled with pain echoed from the floor above. _'Shizune!'_ She thought as her head snapped up, dashing up the last few steps before halting suddenly. It had been a few years since she had done any serious training, but that wasn't enough to dull near thirty years of instinct. Reminding herself of the need for calm and caution -even as Shizune's scream turned to one terror- Tsunade carefully cracked the door and peered into the now silent hallway.

Seeing nothing, Tsunade carefully made her way through the corridor keeping a wary eye on each door she passed despite her hammering heart and near panic. _'Hold on Shizune.'_ She thought anxiously as she unconsciously sped up slightly.

As Tsunade finally came within sight of their room, she was nearly overcome by her desire to just rush into the room. Again, she forced herself to calmly walk down the hall, pausing outside the door, unknowingly mimicking Orochimaru as she listened intently for any sounds of activity.

She heard the pained whisper of Shizune as she said, "Jir...rai...ya...". Eyes widening in fear, both for Shizune's words and the weakness in her voice, Tsunade rushed into the room, absentmindedly taking in the signs of struggle as she sought out her last tie to her beloved Dan.

Tsunade found her almost instantly, only to freeze up with terrified gasp. There, lying in a rapidly growing pool of blood was Shizune. The extent of the young girl's injuries were indecipherable to her, as all Tsunade's mind could take in was the BLOOD!

She didn't even register Orochimaru's presence, let alone his murmured condolences as he departed.

Her hands shakily rose to clasp each other in front of her face as her breathing increased erratically. _'So...so much BLOOD... Dan...Nawaki...help me!'_

Tsunade's shaking finally overcame her already tentative balance and she collapsed to her knees, hyperventilating as her eyes remained locked on the still form of her apprentice.

As her student bled out, Tsunade's all but fractured mind thought back to when she had met the girl just a few short years ago...

* * *

**Flashback**

It was an insufferably sunny day as Tsunade marched determinedly towards an uncomfortably familiar graveyard. It struck her as incredibly unfair that she had been forced to spend so many days in that horrible place, burying relative after relative until finally, she was the last Senju left. Only one thing had kept her from falling into an unending despair following the death of her beloved little brother.

Him. A simple Jounin of moderate skills and abilities, no clan or even a family name behind him. Yet what he did have, had captured her heart, and had dragged her up out of the darkness. Dan had possessed such an earnestness, such determination and strength of character that broke through every barrier she tried to put up.

When they had first met at a meeting between the Jounin Council and the Hokage and his advisers. Tsunade had vehemently argued for a restructuring of teams that would allow for a Medic Nin to be placed on each team. Unfortunately for her plans, her sensei -though admitting to the wisdom of such a move- shot the idea down, stating that the severe shortage of manpower and resources made the plan impractical during a time of war.

Tsunade had tried to argue her case, yet without even the tentative support of the other Jounin, even she knew it was hopeless. At least, until he had spoken up.

The man was tall, and possessed shoulder length silver hair, and eyes filled with passion. Yet it was his words that struck her the most. "I agree with Tsunade-hime." The man said as he rose from his seat. "Surely saving as many of our shinobi as possible is the best course of action we could take! Few other villages possess our skills at Ijutsu, and that could be the deciding factor in bringing an end to this war!"

"Dan," one of the Elders -Homura- spoke up tiredly. "It's not that we don't feel the plan is worthwhile. We just simply lack the manpower to take so many off the front line, nor the resources to train so many so quickly. And even if we did, not many are suited for medical Ninjutsu."

"So we do what we can with what we have!" The Jounin now known as Dan replied passionately. "We can make the changes one team at a time if we have to, and with each success, we can pull in more teams as well!"

Tsunade missed much of what he said after that, as she was simply enraptured by his passion and determination. Though she would never admit it, the rest of the meeting passed by in a blur, even as the plan was once again turned down.

Her next conscious thought was following Dan outside, moving quickly to catch him alone. The following conversation was brief and to the point, before the two went their separate ways. Yet Tsunade was addicted.

Addicted to his passion and determination, to his warmth and understanding. And like any addict, she pursued him relentlessly, even if he often made her feel like a giggling Academy student. Her! Tsunade Senju! Tsunade of the Sannin!

And then, almost before she knew it, they were sharing their first kiss, then he shared his dream with her, and she in turn gave him her Grandfather's necklace, then more and more until the day he asked her to marry him.

Tsunade had been, in a word, ecstatic. They had planned quickly, and embarked on one last mission before their wedding. The mission that took Dan away from her.

Following that disastrous mission -even if it was marked as a success- she had once again fallen into a pit of despair. Only this time, there was no Dan to rescue her, and her recently developed hemophobia had earned her much scorn among the higher ups. Perhaps even worse, the war had ended less than a month afterwards, her beloved Dan one of the final few casualties on Konoha's side of the conflict.

And so she had finally decided to leave Konoha once and for all. Between her own pull as the last Senju and the efforts of her teammates, sensei, and the newly nominated Yondaime, she was granted permission, and now, standing outside a cemetery, she had one thing left to do before she could finally leave Konoha for good.

She had to say goodbye.

Steeling herself against the sorrow that threatened to overwhelm her at the thought of those words, she quickly made her way through the quiet burial ground in search of her beloved.

The silence that gripped the solemn ground unnerved her as much as the thought of privacy comforted her, and she found herself eerily calm as she approached Dan's grave.

So Tsunade was more than a little shocked to find a young girl weeping before the very grave she was looking for.

The girl-who couldn't be more than thirteen or fourteen-had short black hair that stopped just shy of her shoulders and had a coltish body, all arms and legs. Her face would no doubt be quite lovely if it wasn't red and splotchy from tears, and she was wearing the uniform mourning attire of a kunoichi.

But what struck her the most was how oddly familiar the girl was. Granted, Tsunade had met just about everyone in the village at some point or another, but there was something about this particular girl that really struck a chord with her.

It was only when she was close enough to hear the girl pitifully sobbing, "Uncle..." that she remembered. '_Oh God, it's Shizune! Dan's niece! How could I forget about her?'_ She berated herself as she tried to remember when she had last seen the girl.

Tsunade was sure she hadn't seen Shizune at the funeral, probably because the girl was on a mission of some kind. In fact, she had hardly ever seen the young kunoichi, as their only common link had been Dan. The times when all three were in the village were few and far between, so despite being friendly enough, Tsunade had never really connected well with Dan's niece.

Still, that didn't excuse her forgetting about the girl, especially after nearly two months since Dan's death. She hadn't even considered the orphan when she made her plans to leave.

Mentally kicking herself over her selfishness, Tsunade made her way to kneel beside the distraught girl. Shizune was obviously completely unaware of her presence, as she didn't even move until Tsunade numbly wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Shh, hush now, Shizune." She said in as comforting a manner as she could, which wasn't much considering her own emotional turmoil.

Shizune jumped in surprise and stared up at her with tear soaked eyes."Tsu-tsunade-sama! I-I'm sorry, was I disturbing you?"

Tsunade looked down at those devastated eyes as she forced a smile she didn't feel. "Of course not dear." She replied while her mind raced, desperately searching for a solution to this gaping hole in her plans.

She already knew that Shizune had no other relatives, which meant there was no one left to take her in. No one but herself.

Frowning to herself, Tsunade considered it carefully. It would take some wheedling, but Tsunade was sure that she could arrange to take Shizune along with her. After all, few would object to losing a single, clan-less orphan.

But would Shizune be willing to leave behind the only home she had ever known?

Almost before she realized what she was considering, Tsunade had offered the young girl an apprenticeship. And to her utter surprise, the girl accepted!

* * *

**Flashback Ends**

Tsunade hadn't really expected the girl to make that good of an apprentice. Back then, few had either the capability or the desire to become Medic Nin, and the odds of a family less girl like Shizune seemed remote. So Tsunade was pleasantly surprised when the girl began to succeed! She gave Shizune the fish exercise, expecting her to give up or fail entirely after a month of struggle. To her shock the young Chuunin completed the exercise faster than anyone Tsunade had ever seen, herself included! And the girl only continued to improve from there.

Plus, the girl was just so sweet and kind, Tsunade couldn't help but grow attached to Dan's niece. The young Chuunin quickly wormed her way into Tsunade's broken heart, to the point where she considered Shizune family.

Tsunade was forced from her thoughts as Shizune let out a raspy death rattle.

"No!" Tsunade gasped as she frantically crawled across the floor to her crumpled form. "Shizune, no!" She pleaded as she belatedly formed the seals for a medical Jutsu as she pressed her trembling hands to the gaping wound in Shizune's side. But the girl had already stopped breathing, so keeping one hand pressed to the wound; Tsunade looped her left arm under the girl's shoulders, placing her hand over Shizune's heart. With one hand stemming the bleeding and the other trying to restart her heart, Tsunade awkwardly cradled her apprentice's head on her shoulder, performing makeshift CPR despite how bad the girl's position was. For a desperate few minutes, she continued this procedure; somehow manage to multitask three different healing procedures, pausing only to check if the girl had started breathing on her own only to repeat the process.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to the desperate Sannin, Shizune drew in a gasping breath, before dissolving into a coughing fit.

Sobbing happily, Tsunade devoted her attention to finishing with Shizune's side before shifting her focus to on the Chuunin's back.

* * *

Anko blinked to herself as she cautiously lifted her head to a beautiful sight. Standing over her, was her sensei, one hand firmly clasped around Jiraiya's arm, the other in a fist mere inches from the traitor's face, held there by a palm.

"Jiraiya..." He hissed angrily.

"Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked with quirked eyebrow. "You're still alive? Huh, guess I'll have to be more thorough this time."

Her sensei opened his mouth and his tongue lashed out transforming into a large snake that tried to bite the Toad Sannin's face off.

As Jiraiya broke free and jumped back from the strike, Orochimaru somehow spoke around the still hissing snake. "Anko, take Naruto and leave. Go quickly." He ordered as Jiraiya lazily beheaded the snake with a swipe of a kunai.

She hesitated for a moment, wanting nothing more than to join her sensei in battle against the traitor. But as Naruto's wails reminded her, there was no one else to care for the infant right now. Surging to her feet, Anko ran back the way she came, leaving two of Konoha's most powerful shinobi behind to duke it out. _'Good luck, sensei.'_

* * *

Orochimaru paid no heed to the screaming civilians who were fleeing from the scene. Nor did he pay any attention to the fools who actually gathered around to watch. He knew some of those who were fleeing may well get caught up in this battle and killed. He also knew there wasn't anything he could do to prevent that. And as for the spectators? Well, they pretty much deserved whatever happened to them for being such brainless morons.

There was no warning that could be discerned by the naked eye. One second they were standing there in the street, the next he was right on top of Jiraiya, lashing out with a vicious jab aimed at the man's throat.

Jiraiya leaned away from the punch, turning the motion into a sweeping kick to his side.

Orochimaru leapt up and over the kick, using his opponent's leg as a springboard to push himself higher. At the apex of his climb, Orochimaru brought a powerful axe kick down on the white haired head below him.

Unfortunately, Jiraiya was able to catch the kick on his crossed arms. Despite that, the ground beneath them still cracked and cratered slightly. He might have lacked Tsunade's unbelievable strength, but he was no slouch either.

With a grunt of effort, Jiraiya pushed him back up into the air.

The sight of the cracked ground was enough to convince some of the spectators to seek refuge. Unfortunately for the others, Jiraiya sped through some seals and launched a powerful fireball at him.

Trapped in midair, and without anything to maneuver with, Orochimaru had no choice be to retaliate with a Ninjutsu of his own. Hoping to strike him with his own technique, Orochimaru fired off a higher ranked Futon, successfully shattering the fireball and sending its fragments crashing into the ground around Jiraiya.

As the flames eclipsed the rogue Sannin, waves of fire also engulfed most of the bystanders, causing a painful death for the lucky ones.

The less lucky ones were transformed into blacked, charred husks, choking to death as their burnt lungs struggled to draw breath.

Grimacing, he landed clear of any of the remains and hurled a brace of shuriken into the last location of his opponent. The sound of the weapons clanging off his target was an unwelcome, yet not entirely unexpected outcome.

As the smoke cleared away, it revealed a white mass of deadly spikes. Spikes that pulled back to revealed a slightly smoking Jiraiya. The Toad Sannin began running through a new set of seals, but Orochimaru wasn't willing to let him complete it this time.

Drawing Kusanagi, he charged in, forcing Jiraiya to abandon his hand seals to pull out a pair of kunai.

Say what you want about the man, but Jiraiya knew his swordplay. The kunai would almost never be able to block a sword, yet they could parry one. And Jiraiya had been sparring with him-Team Sarutobi's resident Kenjutsu specialist- for longer than Anko had been alive.

As Orochimaru slashed at him in a powerful, but predictable overhead swing, Jiraiya parried it with an overhead arc, his right hand coming in to stab at Orochimaru's stomach.

But this was exactly what he wanted. Flowing with the momentum of Jiraiya's parry, he swung around and slashed at Jiraiya's outstretched arm.

The Toad Sannin was able to jerk back and shift his arm enough that only his sleeve was cut. Cursing under his breath, Orochimaru reset his stance and attempted a quick stab, hoping to take advantage of the opening presented by his jerky retreat. He only needed to scratch Jiraiya a bit for the Kusanagi's poison to get into his opponents system.

To his surprise, Jiraiya suddenly reversed his momentum, impaling himself on Orochimaru's sword. His surprise turned to shock when Jiraiya went up in a burst of smoke, replaced by a terrified looking, and rapidly dying civilian. A tourist by the looks of his clothing.

Wincing, Orochimaru ruthlessly tore the blade from the poor bastard and leapt away, avoiding the Doryuudan that literally punched gaping holes in the man's body.

Hissing at the close call, Orochimaru flipped himself over and hurled his sword and a single kunai over Jiraiya's head, before flipping through the seals for a Reppushou. Jiraiya easily recognized and dodged the C rank Fuuton –it was one of the few the Toad Sage knew himself after all- by leaping into the air, where Orochimaru was waiting for him courtesy of a Kawarimi of his own.

Swinging the Kusanagi in a wide arc, Orochimaru forced Jiraiya to actually block with his kunai, which were unable to stand up to the legendary katana. He cut through them and their wielder in an instant.

Jiraiya's eyes widened in surprise, and for one, terrifying, gut wrenching moment; Orochimaru thought he had done it. His heart stopped, and his eyes widened in horror as time froze around them. For all the atrocities Jiraiya had recently committed against Konoha, he was still the closest thing to a brother he had ever had. And now, Orochimaru had just killed hi-

"Jiraiya" suddenly went up in yet another explosion of smoke, yet this time, nothing appeared in his place.

Clearing his mind and pushing his emotions to the background, Orochimaru landed on his feet and set himself in a guarded stance, waiting for Jiraiya's next move. When nothing came right away, he carefully began to scan his surroundings, searching for his former teammate. _'Where are you, Jiraiya?'_

"Orochimaru!" an enraged voice bellowed from down the street. Turning, he was shocked to see a blood covered Tsunade. "Where is he! Where is Jiraiya!"

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Orochimaru turned to face her and pulsed his chakra, attempting to dispel the possible Genjutsu. When nothing happened, he barked out a question that only Tsunade could know. "Tsunade! How many cups of sake did you have at the hotel last night?"

For a moment, Tsunade looked dumbfounded, before her anger returned. "I'm not an impostor you asshole! And I couldn't have any sake in that hotel, and it's all your fault for tricking me into carrying that brat around!"

Orochimaru uncertainly lowered his sword. She talked like Tsunade, and it was true about what happened last night but… "How are you moving? There's blood all over you?" Tsunade jerked back in surprise, before glancing down at herself. Shaking his head, Orochimaru returned to scanning the surroundings. "Never mind, just be careful, Jiraiya is hiding around here somewhere."

"Right!" Tsunade nodded as she began glancing around as well, a fierce glare on her face.

For a moment the only sound was the wind…and the crackling of the flames left over by Jiraiya's jutsu. "I'm sorry." He found himself saying, much to his own surprise. Glancing at Tsunade out of the corner of his eye and seeing her do likewise, he found himself explaining. "About Shizune. If Anko and I hadn't been here with Naruto…" Orochimaru couldn't believe he was saying this –as telling an enraged Tsunade that "it's my fault" was never a good idea- but the truth was, he did feel guilty. While Shizune meant little if anything to him, to Tsunade, she was the only thing his friend had left in the world. Knowing that Jiraiya had killed her, and that Orochimaru could have prevented it any number of ways…it was more painful than he would have thought.

"She's alive."

This time he couldn't help himself. His head whipped around and stared at her in shock. "You got over your hemophobia? That's great!"

Tsunade snorted. "So it would seem. By the way, Orochimaru…" she turned her head just enough to meet his eyes. "You better hope I wear myself out on Jiraiya…otherwise I'm going to have to take my anger out on you."

The two sent feral grins at each other, and for a moment, Orochimaru was beset by nostalgia of a time when the three of them were younger and rowdier, always getting in some form of trouble or mischief. The moment ended when Tsunade suddenly frowned and asked. "Hey, Orochimaru…where are Anko and Naruto?"

And just like that, a sudden terrible understanding flooded though him and he whirled around to face her. "Shit!" Orochimaru cursed as he took off down the street in the direction Anko had fled.

* * *

Anko had long since made it to the outskirts of the town, and she had every intention to keep moving until she could find a suitable hiding place. A difficult task since her passenger just wouldn't stop crying. "Come on, Naruto." She murmured anxiously as she glanced over her shoulder for any sign of pursuit. "Please, please stop crying! I promise, if you just stop crying, I'll take you out for your first drinks as soon as you're old enough!" If anything, Naruto just started crying louder. "Okay, okay, I'll take you out for you first drinks and to your first strip club-" For a brief, shining moment, she thought Naruto was quieting down. "Once you turn sixteen." Almost immediately, Naruto's wails began climbing to an even higher volume. "All right, all right, once you make Genin!"

It was almost eerie how quickly Naruto's crying stopped once she said that. Sending him a suspicious glance, Anko muttered to herself. "I can't believe I'm negotiating with a baby."

Slowing to a brisk walk, Anko allowed herself to relax marginally and breathe just a tad easier. "Everything's going to be fine, Naruto." She reassured the infant –and herself- softly. "Orochimaru-sensei's going to beat the crap out of Jiraiya, and we're gonna go back to Konoha, and when you make Genin, you'll get to hang out with me, won't that be great?" Anko took the soft gurgling sounds Naruto made as assent, and continued her nervous murmuring, sending another glance over her shoulder as she did so. "I know some pretty good looking kunoichi who owe me some favors, so I guarantee you'll enjoy your first lap dance. Hell, maybe if you're lucky, you might get a little action from the great, Anko-sama!" She started when Naruto made a fussy sound at that. Anko was seriously starting to get creeped out by how Naruto's actions almost seemed like he was answering her. Sending him a mock glare, she continued. "Or maybe you'd prefer Tsunade herself? Don't try to deny it; all you guys ever think about are big breasts."

Inside, Anko felt like cackling madly. Here she was, running for her life from a psychotic, Kage level_ legend_ of the shinobi world, and she was carrying on a one way conversation with a baby. Definitely a one way conversation, because if she started believing that he was actually communicating back, Anko would have to check herself into the psych ward.

"Maybe the stress is getting to me just a little." Anko chuckled shakily. "What do you think Naruto?" Thankfully, this time the infant didn't respond in any noticeable way, much to her relief.

She blinked in surprise when a spray of red flew out in front of her, followed by what felt like a sledgehammer slamming into her shoulder and pitching her forward. Not for the first time that day, she barely managed to twist so she landed on her left side rather than flat on her face –and Naruto.

It was only after she hit the ground that her shoulder suddenly began screaming in agony. It hurt so much, she was sure her shoulder was _literally_ screaming. _'Oh wait…that's me screaming…'_

Feeling the flow of warm liquid running down her chest, Anko grit her teeth against the pain and looked at her shoulder. Or more specifically, the bloody mess that used to be her shoulder. She racked her mind trying to figure out where the hell that gaping hole came from. It was difficult to tell the size of the wound, what with all the blood and all, but it looked about the right size of a kunai.

'_But…but I saw the blood splatter before I felt the pain…hell, before I even felt the force of the hit! The kind of power and speed you would need to put in a kunai to do that…that's…that's not human!' _Anko thought in disbelief as her eyes slowly fell to Naruto. A blood covered Naruto.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God…" she moaned as her breathing started racing. Was it her blood, was it Naruto's blood? Were those cries of fear, or cries of pain? Anko tried to wipe some of the blood off Naruto, but every time she tried to move her right arm, she felt burning agony, almost to the point where she feared she'd pass out.

Forcing her head to look behind her once again, Anko could barely keep from screaming at the sight of a nonchalant Jiraiya casually approaching her.

"There you are, Anko-chan." Jiraiya greeted calmly. "I was wondering where you scampered off to."

Anko kicked weakly as she tried to prevent him from getting any closer.

"Now you're hurting my feelings, Anko-chan. I'd almost think you didn't want to be around me." Jiraiya said with a hurt expression on his face.

Anko stared up at the man who was once a revered -if perverted- hero of Konoha.

"Hmm...you certainly are maturing nicely, Anko-chan." Jiraiya continued as a familiar, yet twisted, hungry grin made its way across his face. "Perhaps I'll do you the honor of gracing you with my body? I'll even do you the favor of getting rid of your virginity. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Anko whimpered as her desperate kicking failed to keep her away from the deranged Sannin. "S-sensei is going to kill you! You'll never get Naruto!" Anko couldn't believe that she had the nerve to say that to the Sannin.

She cringed when the perverse look was wiped from his face to be replaced with a terrible look of fiery rage. "Naruto is mine! No one will keep him from me! Not Orochimaru, not Konoha, and most certainly not you!" Just like that, the look of rage disappeared with a terrifying speed, replaced by a strangely blank look. "I've changed my mind." Jiraiya said simply. "I don't think you're worthy of my company. Or of life for that matter."

Anko could only watch helplessly as Jiraiya approached until only a few feet separated them, when a new obstacle appeared.

"Tsunade-hime!" Jiraiya called happily. "It's so good to see you again. Have you come to help me take Naruto?"

Anko wanted to cry she was so happy to see the blonde Sannin and her sensei. Though the blood on Tsunade was slightly disturbing. And speaking of blood, she was starting to get a little woozy.

* * *

"I'm here to pound your bones into dust, Jiraiya!" Tsunade growled angrily. "And I'd sooner die than let you get your hands on Naruto!"

"Why?" Jiraiya asked with a hurt voice. "Why won't you help me? How could you stand in my way?"

"You mean aside from what you did in Konoha? You tried to kill Shizune!" Tsunade spat as she glared at the Toad Sage, her knuckles cracking from how hard she was clenching her fists.

"Who?" Jiraiya asked with a cocked head.

"Shizune!" Tsunade yelled in disbelief. "The girl you nearly killed in the hotel room! My apprentice!"

Jiraiya's brow furrowed in thought for a moment before brightening as if in sudden realization. "Oh, her. So what?" He asked with a shrug.

"So what?" Tsunade sputtered in a rage as she took a threatening step forward.

"So I killed your apprentice." Jiraiya said with another shrug. "I'll get you a new one."

Tsunade couldn't believe the sheer nonchalance with which Jiraiya spoke of what he did to Shizune. The Jiraiya she knew was nothing like this! What the hell had happened to him while she was gone?

"Enough." Orochimaru suddenly spoke up as he stepped forward. "Tsunade, check on Anko and Naruto. Leave Jiraiya to me."

"The hell I will!" She spat at her teammate. "When I'm through with him, you'll be scooping Jiraiya up with a shovel!"

"Please, Tsunade!" Orochimaru begged, just before throwing himself at Jiraiya, his Kusanagi leading the way.

Cursing to herself, Tsunade contemplated ignoring her old teammate's plea, until the sound of Naruto's wailing finally registered in her rage filled mind. Cursing herself this time, Tsunade quickly knelt by the shivering Anko.

Activating her diagnostic jutsu, Tsunade quickly determined the extent of Anko's injury -a single kunai hit to her shoulder, nothing she couldn't handle- which she repaired to almost pristine condition in less than a minute. Leaving the unconscious girl where she lay for the moment, Tsunade scooped Naruto up and cleaned him off with a light Suiton, before repeating the process on the blood drenched baby. She was shocked at the amount of anxiety and fear she felt when she saw Naruto covered in blood, as well as the relief she felt to find him alright. _'The little guy must have grown on me.'_

A scream of rage was her only warning, and she whirled around with the child still in her arms to see a deranged Jiraiya, a Rasengan in each hand much to her disbelief. For a split second, she could only stare in horrified disbelief as Jiraiya's right handed Rasengan plunged towards her chest, seeming unaware or uncaring of the fact that Naruto was cradled there. Then the moment passed and Tsunade, feeling a great surge of rage -_'How dare he try to hurt Naruto-chan!'-_ slapped the arm away with the still active diagnostic hand. And immedieately wished she hadn't.

The moment she touched Jiraiya with her diagnostic jutsu, she was besieged by a horrible sensation.

It was as if she suddenly found herself in a river of molten metal, an ocean of fire, all the light of the sun gathered in one spot with the sole purpose of reducing her to less than ash. Tsunade felt as if she was locked in a desperate to keep from being consumed by this…taint that she once called Jiraiya.

Tsunade hunched over and started puking up everything she'd ever eaten and trembling worse than she ever had before.

'_Oh God...oh God, this...this thing wants Naruto? I can't...I can't let it have him!' _

She could barely register the second Rasengan rushing towards her, let alone try to stop it.

* * *

Orochimaru leapt towards Jiraiya, his Kusanagi once again leading the way. Jiraiya jumped back in an attempt to put some distance between them, but Orochimaru wasn't having it. He kept up the pressure, preventing his former teammate from forming any hand seals and keeping him on the defensive. Unfortunately, aside from Jiraiya's inability or unwillingness to utilize Ninjutsu –he still hadn't used the Rasengan even once today- they more or less repeated their earlier stalemate.

'_I need him to make a mistake…I have to goad him somehow.'_ Orochimaru told himself as he thought up a psychological ploy. The problem was, Jiraiya had gone through such a dramatic personality shift since the Kyuubi attack, that he could no longer be sure what would and wouldn't set the Toad Sannin off. Taking a more or less random guess, Orochimaru said, "You must realize the futility of this, Jiraiya! Even _Tsunade_ intends to stand in your way!"

Jiraiya just smirked, a hint of his former perversion making its way through. "That's all right. I'll just kill her as well before taking Naruto." his smile stretched across his face and his eyes widened hungrily. "Maybe I'll have a taste of that apprentice of yours' that you're so fond of first? Who knows, maybe I'll even keep her around."

Orochimaru hissed in disgusted anger. Though Jiraiya had always been a pervert, peeking aside, he'd never condoned rape; even speaking of it in jest would fill the white haired man with rage. To hear him even hinting at doing something like that to Anko…_ 'What happened to you, Jiraiya?' _There was no way such a drastic change in the man's nature had come solely from Minato's death.

He attacked angrily, slashing furiously at his opponent. He barely even felt kunai cut his leg when he over-extended, before he forced himself to calm down. He had set out to force Jiraiya to make stupid mistakes like that, and judging by the glint in his eyes, the Toad Sannin was aware of it, and had deliberately turned Orochimaru's tactic back on him.

Scowling, Orochimaru attempted to use his Shikumi no Jutsu. Hitting Jiraiya with his hallucination inducing killer intent, Orochimaru was horrified when rather than reacting the way anyone, even a Sannin themselves should have, Jiraiya actually grinned wider at the visions of his death. _'Impossible!' _He thought as he suddenly found himself on the defensive. _'No one can just shrug that off without being at least a little effected!'_

Locking blades with Jiraiya, he tried to goad him once again, picking topics at random. "Sensei was right to favor me over you when we were Genin! You always were too unstable to be a ninja! Konoha is better off without you! Minato would be ashamed of you! You can't take Naruto; you couldn't even protect Minato from the Kyuubi!"

He had almost given up trying to goad Jiraiya when his eyes were suddenly filled with a mad rage at that last taunt. With a mighty heave, Jiraiya shoved him back, yet instead of pressing his advantage, he started raging at him. "I will save Minato! I will turn back death itself and destroy that damn demon, and make everything the way it should be! I will undo everything, and will see the Prophecy fulfilled! And I won't let anything stand in my way!"

_'Prophecy?' _Orochimaru was surprised that his taunts actually worked, though he couldn't begin to make sense of Jiraiya's words. He didn't have time to either, as Jiraiya finally used the Rasengan, in both hands much to his surprise. Orochimaru set himself in a guarded stance, only for Jiraiya to turn and sprint towards a kneeling Tsunade with a roar of rage.

Tsunade whirled around at Jiraiya's approach and batted Jiraiya's first attack away with a casual ease, before suddenly seizing up and hunching over, Naruto still clutched in her arms as she began puking and trembling violently.

Orochimaru didn't know what had happened, but he did know that Jiraiya was about to strike with his second Rasengan, and Tsunade appeared to be in no condition to defend herself, let alone Naruto and Anko.

Orochimaru threw himself forward, his desperation lending him speed as he crossed the distance between himself and his teammates. Just as Jiraiya's Rasengan was about to connect, Orochimaru slashed down with his Kusanagi, severing half of Jiraiya's forearm off. As the Rasengan disapated harmlessly, Orochimaru was shocked when Jiraiya let out a roar of rage before leaping away from them.

Planting himself between Tsunade and Jiraiya, Orochimaru tossed a "Tsunade, what's wrong?" over his shoulder.

"I...I'm not sure..." Tsunade said weakly. "I've never felt anything like that before..." As she finished, she slowly placed Naruto next to Anko, before pushing herself unsteadily to her feet.

"I'll kill you!" Jiraiya screamed, seeming more angry at their interference then in pain. "I'll burn this entire nation to the ground! I'll scourge every trace of your existence from this world!" Then, to his complete shock, Jiraiya plunged his hand to the ground and shouted, "Kuchiyose!" And it worked. No handseals, no Fuuinjutsu at all that Orochimaru could see, yet the results were obvious.

Gamabunta appeared in a giant cloud of smoke.

Overcoming his shock, Orochimaru performed his own summoning, quickly followed by Tsunade.

For a brief moment, there was silence between the three boss summons and the Sannin. Jiraiya and Orochimaru glared at one another in silence, while Tsunade looked strangely hesitant.

The silence was finally broken by Manda. "So...what the hell's going on?"

"Jiraiya! Why have yo-what happened to your arm!" Gamabunta started his usual grumbling only to splutter off when he got a good look at his summoner.

"Kill them, Bunta!" Jiraiya ordered as he jabbed his remaining arm at them. "Show them no mercy!"

Gamabunta rolled his eyes back down and looked back up at his summoner in confusion. "Who?" He asked as he puffed on his pipe.

"Orochimaru and Tsunade of course!" Jiraiya shouted angrily. "Manda and Katsuya too!"

There was silence again for a moment as the great summons eyed eachother before Manda repeated, "What the hell is going on?"

"Tsunade," the calm Katsuya asked quietly. "Why haven't you healed Jiraiya's arm yet?"

Both Gamabunta and Manda turned at that, noticing that their compatriot was right. Despite beeding profusely, Tsunade hadn't made any attempt to help Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya!" Orochimaru called out. "Enough of this. Do you truly intend to force even our allies to fight eachother for the sake of your depravity?"

The three summons blinked and exchanged surprised glances before Gamabunta spoke again. "Jiraiya..." He growled up at his summoner. "You better not expect me to fight Manda and Katsuya without a damn good explanation!"

"You're right, Bunta." Jiraiya nodded with a determined look. "I shouldn't expect you to fight both of them at once." With that, Jiraiya somehow performed yet another summoning. This time when the smoke cleared, there were two small toads sitting there.

"Jiraiya-chan, what happened to your arm!" One of the two toads croaked in a relatively feminine voice.

"Ma, Pa, fuse with me quick!" Jiraiya barked before anyone else could say anything. And sadly, the two toads complied before Gamabunta -the only one who understood the two diminutive toads significance- could say anything, leaping onto Jiraiya's shoulders, their hands held in a seal and their eyes screwed shut in concentration.

Orochimaru tensed, wondering what new trick Jiraiya had come up with, only to blink in shock as the two toads began screaming as if in agonizing pain. Moments later, the two flew off Jiraiya's shoulders to land in writhing agony on Gamabunta's head. "What have you done, Jiraiya!" Gamabunta roared in rage before disappearing in a cloud of smoke, seemingly taking Jiraiya and the small toads with him.

"Orochimaru," Manda hissed when it became clear that the danger had passed. "If you don't explain what's going on, I'm going to eat you!"

"I'll explain as best I can, Manda." He promised before continuing. "But we need to get Naruto back to Konoha as soon as possible. I'll tell you what I know on the way."

Manda hissed in displeasure before nodding his head. "Very well, grab the children and let's get going."

Sighing in relief, Orochimaru jumped over to Katsuya and carefully moved Anko over to Manda before returning for Naruto. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you, Tsunade. Give me Naruto, and I'll let you and Shizune be about your business."

Orochimaru was shocked when rather then hand the miraculously asleep infant to him, Tsunade stepped back, holding Naruto even tighter to her chest. "Tsunade?" He questioned, a distant corner of his mind bleakly wondering if he was going to have to fight Tsunade as well.

"I'll carry him."

Orochimaru blinked. "Excuse me?"

Seemingly reclaiming her fiery spirit, Tsunade snorted. "What, are you deaf? I said I'll carry Naruto-chan."

_'Naruto...chan?'_ "Uh, you do realize that Naruto needs to go back to Konoha?" He asked cautiously, half expecting to have to chase down a fleeing Tsunade to get Naruto back.

Tsunade just sent him a look that practically screamed _"are you an idiot?"_ and said, "Of course I know that! Honestly, and people call you a genius." With that she turned to her summon. "Katsuya, can you retrieve Shizune and Tonton?"

* * *

Orochimaru sighed as he, Tsunade, and their respective apprentices walked through the village, heading straight for the Hokage tower. He never thought he'd be so relieved to be back in the village. While amusing at first, listening to Anko and Shizune and to a lesser degree, Tsunade argue and fuss over Naruto had quickly grown annoying. Especially since they kept dumping the infant's dirty diapers on him to dispose of.

It hadn't taken long for them to get back to Konoha, yet Orochimaru had noticed a change in Tsunade. Ever since she had overcome her fear of blood, she had seemed to grow stronger and more vibrant by the minute, while at the same time growing more and more attached to Naruto.

He didn't quite understand what was going on with her, but a part of him was grateful. While Anko had done her utmost to care for Naruto in his absence, she was only a Chuunin, and a young one at that. Knowing that Tsunade would be around to care for and protect Naruto put his mind at ease in a way that hadn't happened in what seemed like a lifetime.

Of course, they attracted quite a bit of attention from the villagers and shinobi. One Sannin was almost guaranteed to attract attention. Two Sannin, one of whom hadn't been seen in the village in years, attracted even more. Add in their two apprentices arguing loudly, and they were the center of attention.

Of course, not all the attention was good. Many saw Tsunade carrying a baby, and curiously tried to get closer, wondering if Tsunade had had a child in her absence. Of course once they realized just _who_ Tsunade was carrying, the curiousity changed to confusion, and in some cases, loathing.

This was followed by fear as Tsunade started to glare at anyone who so much as twitched negatively in Naruto's direction.

Orochimaru just shook his head and led the way in silence.

They were just outside the Hokage tower when a giant cloud of smoke erupted in the village. Whirling around, Orochimaru cursed at what he saw.

Gamabunta.

* * *

Translations:

Shikumi no Jutsu=Death Viewing Technique

Kuchiyose=Summon

Reppushou=Gale Wind Palm

Doryuudan=Earth Dragon Missle

* * *

**AN**: Like I said, I'm not really satisfied with this one. And as far as the story itself goes, I've got the situation with the toads more or less worked out in my head, and a couple of fluff scenes of Naruto's childhood, but beyond that? I've got nothing for this story. Well, maybe I'll come up with something down the road. Who knows? As always, let me know what you think and feel free to give any reviews, criticisms, etc that you may have.

Peace, Vaan.


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